Shalom,
Psalm 79 today gives us an example of what we saw in Psalm 78 yesterday, of how the people of Israel would cry out to God when their disobedience got them in trouble. Verses 8-10:
8 O do not [earnestly] remember against us the iniquities and guilt of our forefathers! Let Your compassion and tender mercy speedily come to meet us, for we are brought very low. 9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name! Deliver us, forgive us, and purge away our sins for Your name's sake. 10 Why should the Gentile nations say, Where is their God? Let vengeance for the blood of Your servants which is poured out be known among the nations in our sight [not delaying until some future generation].
The Message Bible says this:
8 Don't blame us for the sins of our parents. Hurry up and help us; we're at the end of our rope. 9 You're famous for helping; God, give us a break. Your reputation is on the line. Pull us out of this mess, forgive us our sins - do what You're famous for doing! 10 Don't let the heathen get by with their sneers: "Where's your God? Is He out to lunch?" Go public and show the godless world that they can't kill your servants and get away with it.
This could be a prayer for present day Israel, along with verses 12-13:
12 Give our jeering neighbors what they've got coming to them; let their God-taunts boomerang and knock them flat. 13 Then we, Your people, the ones You love and care for, will thank You over and over and over. We'll tell everyone we meet how wonderful You are, how praiseworthy You are!
God has delivered Israel time after time after time! I KNOW that He's not finished with them yet! Make sure that YOU are not a "jeering neighbor"! Instead, be one who blesses Israel!!
Hebrews 13:5-6 is one of my favorite portions of Scripture!
5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be content with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, the Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [ I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?
When we KNOW that God is on our side, we realize that it doesn't do anyone, any good, to come against us! He WILL deliver us, when we count on Him! Here is a song to help remember Who He is! Hillsong's "God Of Ages":
2 Chronicles 29-30 is another account of the life of king Hezekiah. We see that he did right in the sight of the LORD. In verses 1-2 we see a possible reason for that!
1 HEZEKIAH BEGAN to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father [forefather] had done.
Did you catch what may have been responsible for Hezekiah's character? His mother was the daughter of Hezekiah! We can assume that she was raised in a godly home and would make a godly environment for her son! Proverbs 22:6 tells us this:
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
When we do this, then we also have this promise in Isaiah 54:13:
All your children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of your children.
The word "peace" here is the Hebrew word "shalom", which means: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, safety, health, prosperity, contentment.
It pays to do things God's way, for you AND your family!
Shalom in Him!
